Dana Mastro in his article, ‘Exposure to TV Portrayal of Latinos,’ talks about certain stereotypes associated with Latino characters on television.
This post confronts the criminal stereotype. Latino characters are “restricted to a small number of parts including comics, criminals, law enforcers and sex objects.” The stereotype of the Latino criminal is pervasive, and representative of a wider problem of social perception of Latinos. Mastro further observes that “limited intelligence, inarticulate speech, laziness and verbal aggression” are the most characteristic traits of Latinos depicted in television, and are worryingly consistent with how the Latino community is perceived in general in society. The criminal character on TV perfectly aligns with these attributes and perpetuates the exact notions that created the stereotype of the character in the first place. The criminal stereotype describes Latinos as untrustworthy people who lack intelligence, honesty, and integrity, and who are not worthy of high-status jobs. Furthermore, the criminal stereotype paints Latinos as violent troublemakers and dishonest people making it harder for Latinos to integrate into mainstream society appropriately.
One study referenced in the article analyses the postulate that the depiction of Latinos as criminals has indeed increased perceptions of Latinos as lazy, dishonest, aggressive and unintelligent ( The average score was computed to be 6.5 on a 10 point scale, with 10 being ‘strongly agree with stereotype’). Thus, the criminal stereotype is significant in encouraging strongly reinforced undesirable traits held by Latinos, which people believe to be true.
Please watch from 0:10 to 3:10
Warning: Violence, Abuse
‘Breaking Bad’ is an American crime TV show that narrates the tale of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), also known by his alter ego ‘Heisenberg’, a high school chemistry teacher who with the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), turns to a life of crime by producing and selling crystal meth when diagnosed with lung cancer. His actions are motivated by his desire to secure his family’s financial future before he dies. The idea of crime, risk, and illegal behavior is at the heart of the show. It is worth noting that both of these characters are white. The potentially problematic part of the show is that all the secondary criminal characters, like the gang leaders, drug lords and petty criminals of Albuquerque are all Latinos. These characters lack any storyline or coverage aside from their criminal involvement. Several scenes show the Latino characters engaging in violent gang-fights, dealing drugs and committing a crime. The characters are also constructed as emotionless and uncaring individuals who speak poor and broken English. They are not afforded any legitimate storyline, plot or opportunity to express another attribute.
On the contrary, even though the two main white characters are criminals, the way their personality is constructed is different. Walter White is depicted as an exceptionally knowledgeable and intelligent chemist, while Pinkman is portrayed as an astute businessman. They are shown to have emotional sides, and their backgrounds and storylines are meaningfully created. Even though they are criminals, they are portrayed as intelligent and smart people who care for their loved ones. Therefore, even in a crime drama, the stereotypes of Latino characters are still prominent, and differentiate them from their white counterparts, in a way that is truly reflective of how white and Latino communities are contrastingly perceived.
The above clip shows Walter White confronting Tuco, a Mexican drug kingpin, after his partner, Jesse, is attacked. Walter attempts to establish his authority and leaves the building after striking a deal with Tuco to be his distributor. The clip reinforces Mastro’s argument of Latinos represented as people who lack integrity and who are characterized by verbal aggression.
Discussion Questions:
- Are there any other shows you can think of that use the criminal stereotype to portray Latinos. If yes, how similar are they to the representations mentioned here?
- Can you think of any Latino characters on TV that you feel are NOT stereotypical? And if so, how do they break the stereotypes of Latinos described in this post?
- These stereotypes have been firmly embedded in our minds and societies. Do you believe that the successful portrayal of Latinos in non-stereotypical roles is enough to eliminate the cliches we hold in our minds? What more can be done to abolish such stereotypes?
Thoughts and comments welcome below!
Caleb's Section's Blog (THEATER 118AC Summer 2018) 
Hi Vedant! I enjoyed your post!
A show that comes to mind is the netflix series Narcos. Narcos is about Colombia in the 1980’s when Pablo Escobar was in the spotlight. The show has 2 white protagonists and the “enemies” are always latino gangsters working for Escobar.
A character that is not stereotypical compared to the ones in this post is Oscar Nunez from The Office. Oscar is an accountant at a paper supply company, already a stark contrast to a life of crime as described above. He is very punctual, clean cut, and is funny. He is essentially the opposite of Tuco who is a rude, violent, criminal. Oscar is a kind, punctual, white collar worker.
I believe portraying Latinos in more than one way, and portraying them as having integrity and depth, will be very beneficial in ending stereotypes. I believe the stereotypes we have en-grained are nearly 100% televisions fault. If we can we re-establish the medium as one having no stereotypes, we will abolish them.
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Hi Vedant, I really enjoyed your post! Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows.
With that being said, I’ll have to respectfully disagree, at least partially, with your view of Breaking Bad. While the first season primarily comprises of said criminal stereotypes, we see later seasons introduce extremely complex Latino/x characters on both sides. Gus Fring, the main villain in the middle to late seasons, challenges our perception of what a criminal Latino should look like. Yes, he is still a criminal, but his calm demeanor, extreme intelligence, nurturing attitude toward family, and well-organized lifestyle make you think twice about prejudices. In addition, Andrea and Brock Cantillo, Jesse’s deceased girlfriend and her girlfriend’s son, are portrayed as an everyday Latino/a with big hearts and throw their support toward Jesse bettering his health.
I do not believe current depictions of non-stereotypical Latinx is enough to combat current cliches. This is because Trump’s America is overpowering television’s voice right now. Trump’s America allows those with prejudices to affirm their beliefs, especially amidst the current ICE and immigration issues.
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Vedant, nice post incorporating “Breaking Bad”!
These cliche stereotypes have been definitely embedded in our minds and seems impossible to neglect them while consuming TV. So, to answer your question, I doubt having successful portrayals of Latinos in non-stereotypical roles would be enough to eliminate the overused stereotypes. I would predict that the cliche stereotypes would be diminished by the non-stereotypical roles if there were more of them. However, the criminal and violent role has been played for years and (sad to say) people are attracted and accustomed to these roles. I’m not sure exactly what could be done to erase these stereotypes, but creating new stereotypes that seem realistic and make sense could draw viewers in.
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Hi Vedant, great post! I am also a huge fan of Breaking Bad. Here are my answers to you questions.
Are there any other shows you can think of that use the criminal stereotype to portray Latinos. If yes, how similar are they to the representations mentioned here?
The criminal stereotype of Latinos was also shown in the Prison Break series. Especially in the season 3 where Scofield gets incarcerated in the prison Sona, the show depicts hundreds of Latinos. Well, this is because the prison is in Panama which is one of the Latin American countries. But the depiction of the cell is shocking. Because these people largely consisted of Latinos who do not abide by given rules, the government could not handle the place. Guards left, and they are only patrolling around the cell only to shoot the prisoners who try to escape. Like how Greenberg and Mastro state Latinos are represented as someone who lack integrity and stereotyped negatively, the depiction of Latinos in the show are people who even cannot abide by the rules of a prison.
Can you think of any Latino characters on TV that you feel are NOT stereotypical? And if so, how do they break the stereotypes of Latinos described in this post?
I think Ugly Betty is the good example for the TV representation where Latino characters are not stereotypical. Betty Suarez is a character who seems to be far away from criminal activities. She is hired by CEO Bradford to be an assistant for his son, Daniel. Bradford was mad because Daniel was having sex with his assistant and even one of the potential applicants. That is one reason why Betty was hired because how she is depicted in the TV is not too attractive. This contradicts stereotypes mentioned by Mastro and Greenberg or Valdivia. In order to make a white man follow business ethics, Latina was hired. She is also not depicted as a sexually desirable person.
These stereotypes have been firmly embedded in our minds and societies. Do you believe that the successful portrayal of Latinos in non-stereotypical roles is enough to eliminate the cliches we hold in our minds? What more can be done to abolish such stereotypes?
In Mastro’s article he uses this research from National Council of La Raza that “particularly when considering that for many White Americans, a bulk of information about Latinos comes from mass media.” With this statement, I believe that diverse and well-rounded portrayal of Latinos will be very helpful to eliminate the stereotypes we have. I think what we as audiences can help this is by following several listed rules in Rachel’s post, “How to be fan of problematic things”. You really must acknowledge the problematic things and do not derail others’ opinions. Such way we will be able to move forward to making a better environment of depicting every race in non-stereotypical manner.
Thank you.
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Nice post Vedant–love this show so this was a fun post to read!
Another show that I can think of that really depicts the criminal stereotype to portray Latina/os is Orange is the New Black. Dayanara Diaz and Marisol Gonzales depict the love-hate relationship described by Valdivia–they are smart, sassy and fiery individuals who also are criminals and are lesser than the white male prison guards. These two characters highlight Mastro’s notion of “limited intelligence, inarticulate speech, laziness and verbal aggression” through their vituperative, snappy character traits.
As for non-stereotypical Latino characters, honestly at the top of my head it is quite hard for me to come up with any ideas. Although I will say the main character from Narcos — Michael Pena — a hardworking DEA agent, is above crime and not lazy or limited intelligence whatsoever.
I agree with you when you say that these stereotypes have been firmly embedded in our minds and societies. I believe that successful portrayal of Latinos in non-stereotypical roles is the first step to normalization, habituation, and then acceptance of our favorite, most loved idols to being a minority with live and breathe next to each day. We must continue holding media accountable for inadequate representation, and continue holding the government and society accountable as well. If, we can do this on all fronts–then we are on the way to abolishing stereotypes.
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